Time Bomb

Above:

Time Bomb and one of my birthday parties shortly after my folks remodeled out screened in porch to become our family room.

I'm reading the book selected for my reading discussion group (aka Book Chicks - at least until any guys join). The book is "An Ocean in Iowa" by Peter Hedges who also wrote "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". Hedges grew up in Iowa and is just a few years younger than I am. In this book - I'm about half done - he has my childhood pretty much nailed.

In the Ocean book, Scotty Ocean is 7 years old, living in West Glen Iowa, which back then was its own little town not a place of upscale shops, houses and a fancy country club. It sounds like it was a lot like Atlantic where I grew up. He also mentions other Des Moines suburbs and Wakonda. His mother is a chain smoker - ah memories of my mother...

When Hedges describes the classroom at his school and some of the activities during each day, I can see the same things in my mind's eye. The fake clocks the teacher handed out so we could learn to tell time (they didn't tick so we knew they weren't real). Learning to tie our shoes. Desks lined up in neat rows. Story time.

This was the boomer era and there were tons of kids - some 30 or so in my classroom and Washington Elementary (there were three elementary schools in A-town and Washington was the newest) had two of each grade. I have lots of memories of recess, teachers and friends.

With that many kids in each class, we celebrated a lot of birthdays. And I attended lots of bday parties. I would dress up in a little cotton bday dress and Mom would deliver me to the birthday child's party - ususally held at their house, but sometimes at a local park. We played games like pin the tail on the donkey and carry an egg in a spoon race. There were prizes and cake with punch. Then the bday girl would get to open the many presents she got. One year I received 3 identical piggy banks - 1 red, two blue. I bet my mom got awful tired of buying cheap crap for bday parties for her 4 daughters!

In an "Ocean in Iowa" Hedges describes Scotty's 7th birthday party - such a walk down memory lane for me. He received a Time Bomb game. I had one of those! It was a rather nerve wracking exercise to play. The red wick part could be wound and the thing started ticking, and much like hot potato, you didn't want to be stuck holding it when it went off! It was made of firm black plastic and I was worried it would break getting lobbed around in our un-carpeted basement.

Is this was growing old is like? Does one just get increasingly nostalgic about one's past? I don't think I'm stuck in my past. I look forward to seeing and learning new things. But I do enjoy remembering stuff I had and things I did. I don't think it hurts to remember where we've come from.